


Puppy

by MouseBouse



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, Hellhounds, M/M, well kind of, you know I can't tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 08:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11755617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MouseBouse/pseuds/MouseBouse
Summary: “Magnus?” Alec called then, keeping his eyes trained on the black form on the bed, those red eyes glowing brightly, boring into his. “Why is there a dog on your bed?”In which Magnus owns a hellhound.Really, that's all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (I don't like the idea of docking a doberman's tail and ears, before someone asks why his tail can waggle.)
> 
> You can always come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://mousebouse.tumblr.com), and comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was meant to be a somewhat usual night for Alec. 

After debriefing Jace and Clary about their latest mission that included several adolescent Seelies on spring break, he’d grabbed his leather jacket and overnight bag and headed over to Brooklyn, eager to see his boyfriend. 

He didn’t really need to bring his things along, of course. Whatever Alec needed from the Institute, Magnus could quickly summon, and the Shadowhunter did have a drawer for this clothes at the loft. There was just something real about taking his bag with him. (It might also be a bit of a _fuck you_ to those who didn’t like the Head of the Institute not spending all his time in said Institute.)  


This was the first time in a while that Magnus and Alec had spent more than three days apart – usually, they at least saw each other in cases of emergencies. So, Alec figured he could be forgiven for wanting to spend some quality time together. Tonight, their idea of quality time was pretty simple. Although _simple_ had a slightly different meeting when one of the men involved was the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Tonight, they planned on taking a quick portal-enabled trip to Magnus’s favorite restaurant in Venice, followed by a ride in a gondola and some sightseeing, then they’d hop back to the loft for a glass of wine on the couch and a couple episodes of one of those cooking shows mundanes tend to watch. Simple.

 

Alec let himself into the loft. Using his own key, since Magnus had taken to locking the door so as not to be disturbed by the many New York City Shadowhunters that seemed to be in constant need of assistance.  


Magnus was sitting at his work desk in the foyer, a quill in one hand and a fragile-looking piece of parchment in the other. He glanced up and gave the newcomer a warm smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling behind his reading glasses.  


_“Couldn’t you just, you know…?” Alec had asked once, waving his hand around to suggest the use of magic to fix his eyesight._  


_Magnus had chuckled before answering, “Of course I could. But it reminds me that I’m not invincible. Besides, they look really good on me.”_  


_Alec couldn’t disagree._  


“Good evening, darling,” the warlock greeted now, turning back to his research. “Give me a few minutes to finish this up and then we can head out. You might want to leave the jacket behind, Italy is quite warm this time of the year.”  


“Take your time,” Alec said, walking over, leaning down to kiss Magnus’s forehead. Gesturing to the bag in his hand, he added, “I’m going to drop this off.”

 

In the four months that he and Magnus have been dating, Alec had seen a lot of things in the warlock’s bedroom. He had seen some of the cats that usually hang around on the roof (and that one cat that turned out to be Iris), he had seen most of Magnus’s wardrobe tossed on the bed as the man was getting ready for his monthly check-up on Pandemonium, he had seen a few of Madzie’s toys here and there when the girl came over…  


One thing that Alec had never seen in Magnus’s bedroom before was a giant ball of black fur that took up almost half of the bed.  


Alec halted in the doorway, the bag falling from his hand and making a dull sound as it hit the floor. He blinked a few times rapidly, thinking this must be professional distortion – he was so used to dealing with demons on a daily basis, he was now hallucinating a shadow resembling a demonic aura around the animal sleeping on the golden sheets.  


At least he thought so for the 1.4 seconds it took said animal to raise its head and open its eyes.  


“Magnus?” Alec called then, keeping his eyes trained on the black form on the bed, those red eyes glowing brightly, boring into his. “Why is there a dog on your bed?”  


“A dog?” The warlock called back, and Alec could hear the scraping of his office chair as he got up to see what Alec was fussing about. “What dog?” Magnus asked, joining the Shadowhunter in the doorway, the glasses no longer framing his face.  


The animal in question stood up, paws firmly planted on the bed and tail waggling behind him.  


“Ohh, Puppy!” Magnus exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly as the dog jumped from the bed and walked toward him.  


Alec watched incredulously as his boyfriend petted the beast and asked, “ _That's_ a puppy?”  


“Obviously not,” the warlock reasoned, leaning down to kiss the dog’s snout. Magnus was grinning widely, and if Alec wasn’t distracted by other things, he would think that the smile on Magnus’s face was worth all the beasts of the world. “Puppy is his name.”  


“That thing’s the size of a cow!”  


The animal in question growled at being called a _thing_.  


“Alexander, a bit of respect, please. And he was a puppy when I named him, it seemed only appropriate.” Magnus proceeded to lower himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged. Soon, he found himself being towered over by a dog that looked a lot bigger than any Alec had ever seen before. “Oof, you’ve gotten big,” he chuckled as Puppy tried licking his face.  


Still not moving from his position, Alec cleared his throat. “Magnus, love?” When the man looked up at him, he continued, “Care to explain?”  


Magnus waved his hand, a glowing cloud of blue leaving a trail on its way to the living room where Alec could see food and water bowls appear. The dog sniffed the air and let out a little bark, as if to thank Magnus for dinner, before he trotted off past both men.  


Alec reached down, holding his hand out to help Magnus stand.  


“Alright,” the warlock announced, “let’s talk.”


	2. Chapter 2

They moved to the living room couch, their new position giving them view of Magnus’s pet. 

“As you might have realized from the darkness surrounding him,” Magnus started, “Puppy is a hellhound.” 

“A hellhound?” The Shadowhunter repeated. 

“Yes.” The warlock took a deep breath in an attempt to collect his thoughts. “It is quite a long story. When I was younger… _a lot_ younger… I decided it would be a good idea to summon my father.” He looked to his side, catching Alec’s eye. “It wasn’t, of course,” he shrugged. 

Alec leaned back against the couch and reached over, taking Magnus’s hand in his and intertwining their fingers. “What happened?” He asked cautiously, obviously curious to find out how his boyfriend’s demon father was connected to the hellhound, but not wanting to press. 

Magnus was quiet for a minute, looking down at where their connected hands rested on Alec’s thigh. He raised them to his mouth and kissed Alec’s knuckles, silently thanking him for being patient, but still not continuing his story. 

While he might have shared a lot of his past with Alexander, there were entire centuries they still hadn’t discussed. Nor would they any time soon, he presumed. There were usually other things to talk about, either more important or simply nicer than his heritage. 

“Magnus,” the other whispered, “you don’t have to tell me.” 

“I know,” he said, “but I would like to.” He lowered his head to the Nephilim’s shoulder. “I’d like to tell you everything eventually, but maybe tonight we can keep to lighter topics,” he declared. 

A whine resonated through the room then, pulling their attention to the hound. Puppy was slowly moving toward them, his glowing red eyes trained on Magnus. Once he reached the couch, he sat between the warlock’s legs and lowered his head to Magnus’s knee. 

Alec let go of his hand and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “You don’t have to tell me about your father,” he decided, “but I would like to know how and why you have a hellhound." 

Magnus used his now free hand to scratch Puppy’s back. “I summoned my father several times. A glutton for self-destruction, that’s me,” he laughed humorlessly, ignoring the memories trying to fight their way out, and instead focusing on the one he was ready to share. “One of those times, I noticed a tiny shadow escape the pentagram. Of course, I thought nothing of it at the time. 

“Later, when I broke the connection, I heard a growl from behind me. Or an attempt at one. This little guy,” he said, still petting Puppy, “was just a baby then.” He chuckled. “Of course, a baby hellhound is about the size of a six-months-old mundane dog.” 

The Shadowhunter had up until that point only listened and kept his eyes on the hound’s. Now, he looked up at Magnus. “So, do all hellhounds look like this?” He wondered. 

“No,” the warlock shook his head, “there are as many breeds of hellhounds as there are of regular dogs. But they are always bigger than their mortal counterparts. Sometimes much, much bigger. I remember seeing a Chihuahua hound as big as a Smart car.” 

“Sometimes I wish warlocks couldn’t lie,” Alec teased, “’cause right now I can’t tell if you’re joking.” 

“You’ll never know,” Magnus winked. Turning his attention back to the hound at his feet, he explained, “This one is a Doberman. About twice the size of the mundane version, of course.” Seeing that Alec’s gaze was once again looking Puppy over, he suggested, “You should let him get familiar with you.” 

Alec nodded and brought his hand to the dog’s snout. Puppy sniffed him for a second before looking back at Magnus. At the warlock’s nod, he licked Alec’s extended fingers and inclined his head, asking to be pet. Obviously, Alec complied with the request. 

“He likes you,” Magnus commented, “that’s good. I have a feeling he might be sticking around for a while.” 

A bark suggested agreement, and Puppy put his front paws on the couch, pushing against where their thighs were touching. When they moved over to opposite ends of the couch, Puppy jumped up, curling himself between the men, as much as it was possible for an animal his size, so both of them could pet him. 

“I have to commend you, Alexander,” Magnus said after a few moments spent in silence. “I would have expected your training to kick in when you saw someone unfamiliar in the loft.” 

The Shadowhunter lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug. “I guess I’m used to feeling safe here,” he admitted, “I know your wards wouldn’t let any threats in.” Then, as if only realizing it at that moment, he asked, “How did he get in, anyway? You were surprised to see him.” 

Magnus moved around to get comfortable, sinking deeper into the couch, before answering. “Like you said, he’s not a threat. He’s been around my magic enough for it to have left a residue on him, so the wards don’t even warn me of his presence.” Then, as an afterthought, he said, “The same goes for you.” 

“Alright,” Alec accepted the explanation. Magnus suspected the blush that started coloring his cheeks might have something to do with that last comment. “But how did he _get in_?” 

“He portaled in,” Magnus said simply. He dismissed the confusion forming on Alec’s face with a wave of his hand, “It’s a hellhound thing. The gist of it is that their demonic origin gives them certain powers similar to those of warlocks.” 

“So, he can do everything you can?” Alec questioned. 

The warlock snorted, “Obviously not. He can do things he’s been taught. I taught him to make and use portals, among other things.” 

The Nephilim seemed to have more questions, but Puppy wiggled on the couch then, raising on his front legs to nuzzle Alec’s neck, effectively stopping him from asking them and instead focusing on giving the hellhound the attention he clearly craved.


	3. Chapter 3

Later, a dog bed found its way into the master bedroom. 

_“You’re putting the dog in the bedroom?” Alec had asked incredulously, and Magnus had scolded him._

_“Once you move in, we can discuss other arrangements.”_

_That wasn’t the first time the subject had come up, but the conversation would always end in agreement that it might still be viewed as too early for them to live together._

_“I guess I’ll have to get on that soon, then. Not that I don’t like him, but I don’t think I want his bed this close to ours.”_

Magnus and Alec were in bed now, navy blue silk sheets gentle on their skin. Alec’s head was resting on the other’s chest, and Magnus’s fingers were playing with his hair. The date to Italy they’d planned for the night was postponed as they’d agreed it was less important than welcoming the hellhound into the loft. Priorities. 

Puppy was sleeping soundly in the corner, having gone for a walk around the block with the men. Said walk may have included an unusual game of fetch. Alec had learned that hellhounds were incredibly fast and had 20/20 vision. The Shadowhunter would shoot an arrow off into the distance – he’d used un-runed arrows, of course, not wanting to hurt the hound with angelic power – and within seconds, Puppy would be back with it in his teeth, dropping it in front of Alec’s feet. (Another thing that Alec had learned from this exercise was that hellhounds had a lot of teeth. So. Many. Teeth.) 

“I have a question,” the Shadowhunter stated now, sitting up to lean against the headboard. “A few of them, actually.” 

“Go ahead,” Magnus encouraged. 

Alec put his index finger up. “One. Where was Puppy until now?” 

“I was expecting that one.” Rising up to mirror Alec’s position, Magnus explained, “Hellhounds require sustenance, but not just food and water. They need demonic energy, they need to feel at home. I might be powerful, but even I can’t replicate that feeling for him. Every now and then, he goes back to Edom, runs around with his kind for a while, then comes back when he gets his fill.” 

Alec hummed, then added another finger to his count. “When was the last time he was here?” 

“2007, I think,” Magnus responded, causing Alec’s head to turn to him. 

“When you said _a while_ , I thought it would be a few months, a year, tops, not a decade,” he said. 

Magnus chuckled then, “You forget, Alexander, I’m immortal. We have very different ideas of _a while_.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Alec warned. “We will have to discuss that at some point,” he added, “but not now.” 

Magnus nodded in understanding – he knew that particular conversation was impending. Ever since Camille mentioned Alec’s mortality a few months ago, they were both aware that the predicament was something in need of addressing. Still, they were avoiding it for now, mostly because there wasn’t much to be done about it. 

And so, going back to the topic at hand, the warlock prompted, “Question number three?” 

Another finger on Alec’s hand went up. “This is the most important one,” he announced. “Does he breathe fire?” 

At that, Magnus straight-out laughed. “He’s a hellhound, Alexander, not a dragon!” 

“I’ve never met a hellhound before!” Alec pointed out defensively. “Besides, isn’t Hell basically eternal fires?” 

The warlock snorted, “False advertising. It is mostly humid wasteland, no fires. The humidity does make one’s hair floppy, though.” 

“So, that’s a no to the fire breathing?” Alec questioned again. “Because that would be really cool,” he finished with a smirk. 

Shaking his head in disbelief, Magnus answered, “What, my giant demonic pet is not _cool_ enough for you? You millennials, one can never please you.” 

“I’m just saying,” he continued teasing, “right now he’s just an abnormally large dog you taught a few tricks. Selective breeding and some training could’ve accomplished that.” 

“Selective breeding wouldn’t have taught him to tear a Nephilim’s limbs off on command,” Magnus retorted, his voice booming, clearly amplified by magic in a display of power. “Would you like a demonstration?” 

Calling his bluff, Alec snorted, “Please. You’d never order him to do that. You love me too much.” 

Taking the Shadowhunter’s hand into his own, Magnus agreed, his voice much softer now, “That I do, Alexander, that I certainly do.”


End file.
